The country’s problems and the difficult decisions ahead loomed large at Fine Gael’s first árd fheis since re-entering government.  Stephen Dineen assessed its mood.

It doesn’t seem long ago since people wondered what Fine Gael, then in seemingly perpetual opposition, stood for and where its future lay. Now, it is back in government, controls the centre-right territory in Irish politics and can be confident that that will continue for some time.

While there was “obviously a level of celebratory atmosphere,” in the Convention Centre on 30-31 March, according to Limerick TD Dan Neville when speaking to eolas, it was “tempered with a realisation of the difficulty our people are in.”

Despite these difficulties, many members expressed satisfaction with the party’s performance in government. “I think they’ve done very well, considering the state of the country when they got it,” said Aishling Pearce, from Castletownbere in County Cork, who works as a retail buyer. “I think they’re re-steering the ship and it will take a while but I think they’re definitely on the right path.”

Seán Prendergast, a farmer from Claremorris in Mayo, also felt that it has done well. “Well, they’ve cut back on their salaries and a lot of expenses, which is the main thing, and they could probably do more I suppose in that line,” he stated, adding that bankers’ salaries need to be cut further.

For Marie Clifton, a retired public servant from Killarney, the Government’s work abroad has been impressive, in particular retaining Ireland’s 12.5 per cent corporation tax rate, as well as its focus on the tourism sector.  Reducing the “absolutely crazy” consultants’ fees was her personal priority for reform as these were causing medical insurance companies’ debt “to get greater and greater the whole time.”

The big achievements in the first year, according to UCD economics student Leah Kavanagh, were “trade, exports and jobs.” She believed that the Government’s priority must be “more job prospects for young people.”

This árd fheis took place barely a week after the Mahon Tribunal’s report. For Leah’s father Jimmy, a party councillor in Letterkenny, there is no room for complacency following its findings. “I think Fine Gael need to look at their own party and tackle it there.”

“To sum it up: I think it’s been a solid first year, but we still have a long way to go,” Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney reflected. The Government’s jobs plan “in many ways will be the driver in terms of political priorities this year,” whilst admitting that “we have a communications challenge to actually keep people with us on a painful enough journey.”

For Neville, a tireless campaigner for mental health services, a special allocation of €35 million for the area in 2012 was a significant achievement in the first year. It was all the more remarkable “because it’s not high in the political consciousness, but is very, very high for the one in four people who will suffer from a psychological or a psychiatric difficulty in their life.”

In his leader’s address, the Taoiseach told the 4,000 members present that “we need the continued support and co-operation of those who work in our public service and the unions that represent them,” which would have pleased Labour. Plans for “the debt-distressed” were outlined: negative equity mortgages, a personal insolvency Bill, expanded use of ‘mortgage-to-rent’ for families and additional mortgage relief for first time buyers.

Sixty-five of 80 policy motions were adopted by members. Whilst those passed at Labour conferences become party policy, Fine Gael motions are referred to the Government Chief Whip for consideration.  Among those passed was one calling for “an equitable property tax to fund local government.”

Outside, approximately 5,000 demonstrators protested at the €100 household charge. Elected representatives and members alike know this was not the last árd fheis at which such protests will be outside the door.

The Labour Party marked its 100-year anniversary while acknowledging that more difficult decisions are ahead in order to lead Ireland to recovery.

Ireland “is going to recover,” Eamon Gilmore told the Labour Party’s centenary conference on 14 April.

Amid protests outside NUI Galway’s Bailey Allen Hall over turf cutting and the septic tank and household charges, Gilmore told the party faithful: “‘Don’t pay’ might sound good as a slogan and look sharp on a placard. But it is neither smart, nor sensible, nor a solution because if you refuse to pay today, you can hardly expect to borrow tomorrow.”

In his first few weeks in government, Gilmore feared “that we would topple over the cliff, and that it might take generations to recover.” However, by stabilising the economy and finances, “we have now succeeded in pulling it back from the edge.”

He recalled that 100 years ago, Labour’s founders James Connolly and Jim Larkin had fought for “the freedom to work, the freedom to have a home, the freedom to learn.” Those are the causes “to which we are called once again,” he told delegates.

A special centenary video cited Labour’s achievements, which included:

•    leader, Tom Johnson being the author of the Programme for Government in the first Dáil;

•    Jim Larkin’s work on eradicating poverty, which is “the lasting legacy of the party”;

•    James Connolly’s 1916 “sacrifice”, which “put Labour at the forefront of politics”;

•    the election of Mary Robinson as President of Ireland in 1991, making her the first woman President and the first not to be nominated by Fianna Fáil;

•    the election of Michael D Higgins as Galway West TD in 1981 and his subsequent election as President in 2011;

•    Labour’s time in coalition government with Fine Gael under Dick Spring from 1982-1987;

•    being “the first party to recognise that divorce is a civil liberty”;

•    Ruairí Quinn’s tenure in the Department of Finance from 1994 to 1997; and

•    achieving a record number of seats (37) in the 2011 general election.

The party also points to Mervyn Taylor, as Minister for Equality and Law Reform introducing the Employment Equality Bill 1993, and Proinsias De Rossa as Minister for Social Welfare introducing the National Anti-Poverty Strategy in 1997.

Successes in the last 13 months included increased exports, opening up new markets such as China, lowering the interest rate on the EU-IMF deal and replacing the €3.1 billion Anglo promissory note owed this year with a long-term bond.

The party’s support for a ‘yes’ vote on the Fiscal Compact Treaty referendum is explained by its desire to bring stability to the euro.

In the wake of the Mahon Tribunal’s findings, speakers reiterated that “no wrong-doing has ever [been] attached to the Labour Party.” However, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin did point out that when Dublin County councillor John O’Halloran’s voting record on planning matters came into question, he was expelled from the party in 1993.

Discontent at the move away from the party’s traditional rhetoric was evident in debating and voting on the 159 motions. Motions that were critical of government policy were ‘referred back’ to the party’s central council. Party Chairman Brian O’Shea refused to count a vote following a show of hands on Brendan Howlin’s call to ‘refer back’ a motion rejecting austerity and calling for expansionary fiscal policy. Delegates then booed and interrupted voting on other motions. Howlin’s next call to ‘refer back’ a motion to oppose the sale of semi-state assets “under any circumstances” was opposed 158 to 152. The motion was then carried by majority on a show of hands.

A central council motion in support of Social Protection Minister Joan Burton commended the JobBridge scheme. While that motion was passed unanimously, a motion from the Clare constituency council, claiming that the scheme leaves participants “open to abuse and exploitation,” was withdrawn.

Former Siptu official and current Galway East TD Colm Keaveney won the party Chairman contest, receiving strong support from the trade unions. Choosing the outspoken TD was generally viewed as a snub to the leadership as the other two contenders (Brian O’Shea and Derek Nolan) are closer to the hierarchy.

Unanimous approval was given to motions calling for media plurality, a carers’ strategy and a human rights dialogue event in China during the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Best wishes were sent by MEP Emer Costello to François Hollande, the Socialist Party candidate in the French Presidential elections.

Pointing to forthcoming legislation on whistle blowing, lobbying and freedom of information, Brendan Howlin said: “It took Fianna Fáil 14 months to destroy our economy and undermine our politics. It will take is more than 14 months to put things right.”

The party leader emphasised that it will take “more than budget discipline to get the economy moving again” and reminded delegates that now is the time “for effort and endurance; persistence and patience; for serious application to the job.”

A new “more activist” ports policy, the possible re-introduction of a fuel rebate to help the freight sector and influencing European transport policy during Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union are being given precedence by Transport Minister Leo Varadkar.

Aviation and ports

Aviation is important to the economy, he told delegates. However, “the situation [at Shannon] is not sustainable.” Passenger numbers at the airport have declined by 43 per cent between 2009 (2,790,000) and 2011 (1,600,000). “The current situation can’t hold and we need to make big changes,” the Minister told delegates.

The transport department has been working with the airport and its partners and is “looking in great detail at what can be done in Shannon in terms of developing it as an aviation centre.”

On the regional airports, he commented: “This time last year, there were more regional airports than there are now. Two [Galway and Sligo] have lost their government funding, they no longer have any scheduled flights.” He added: “We just had too many airports and it wasn’t possible to sustain them all and the cost of that was falling on the tax-payer.”

Donegal, Knock, Kerry and Waterford are the remaining regional airports. They “know that they have until 2014 or 2015 to reach the stage where they are operating at a balance where they no longer need operating subsidies.” The Minister revealed: “I’m confident enough that at least two of those four will be able to meet that.”

Ports are of great interest to the Transport Minister and the formulation of a new ports policy is under way. It will “mark a move away from the laissez faire policy that was there in the past [i.e.] to set up a number of semi-state port companies and let them do their own thing and hope that it will work out.”

“That’s not the best policy in the interests of the public or in the interests of the tax payer,” Varadkar said. “It’s particularly not working out in the smaller ports which are losing a lot of business.”

At the moment, “it’s just the nature of the business that we are moving towards bigger ships, deeper water and bigger ports.”

Delegates were told: “Essentially what’s been happening over time is, to the extent that they had them, the reserves in those ports have been whittled away until there is nothing left and the Government has to intervene. At that point, the Government is intervening too late in a crisis situation when all the capital has been whittled away.”
The new policy will be “more activist.” It will “set a vision as to how our ports should work and it will be the role of the shareholder to set policy and intervene, where necessary, to ensure that that is done.”

At the moment, law and policy treat ports “as though they are the same but of course they are not the same.” The three core ports are Dublin, Cork and Shannon Foynes but the ports with regional importance and ports in transition “no longer get most of their revenue from maritime activity.” The new policy will make a distinction between those types of ports, the Minister outlined.

Rail and freight

The Government’s decision not to renew the derogation on the structure and management of the railways means that “by this time next year, we’ll have to have a certain degree of separation in Iarnród Éireann.” The details “haven’t exactly [been] worked out … but there will have to be separation between the operator element of the business and the infrastructure management,” he explained.

That could begin with a new infrastructure or services provider initially on the Dublin to Belfast line. The European Commission’s fourth railway package provides for the structural separation of railway activities, the liberalisation of the domestic railway passenger market and a mandatory independent regulatory body. This could lead to new providers on domestic lines, the Minister noted.

In terms of Ireland’s freight industry, the Minister noted: “It is in a very difficult position [with] falling demand and rising fuel prices.” He added that the Government “is under enormous pressure to reduce the cost of fuel and reduce taxes on fuel [but] that is extremely unlikely to happen unfortunately.”

While many transport companies are losing money or are heavily in debt,” Varadkar starkly pointed out: “There are none that are losing €15 billion a year and have debts of €160 billion, but the Government does. So anything we do has to be revenue-neutral or increase revenue for the Government.”

A working group has been established between the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport and the Department of Finance to consider “the possibility of re-introducing a fuel rebate for essential users and changing the rules in relation to green diesel.”

The group is “really interrogating that idea of fuel tourism; that Ireland is losing out with people buying their fuel in Belgium for example, where they can get a rebate, or registering vehicles overseas rather than paying motor tax in Ireland, or the fact that a huge amount of diesel is now being washed.”

While new measures are being considered, the Minister explained that the motorway speed limit for heavy vehicles has been increased from 80 to 90 kilometres per hour from 1 April 2012 and some are now permitted to carry heavier loads “to allow the industry to become more competitive.”

€65 million will be spent on ‘smarter travel’ between 2011 and 2016. This will include more cycle lanes, pedestrian zones, real-time timetables, integrated ticketing and the extension of bike sharing to regional cities. West Cork, Dungarvan and Limerick have been identified as smarter travel areas.

“They are going to be developed up to what you would see in some cities around Europe in terms of accessibility for busses, cycling and pedestrians. It will be a good test for us to see to what extent it works and if it shows a meaningful shift to other modes of transport.”

Presidency

Ireland will hold the Council presidency in the first half of 2013 and the Minister outlined two priorities for that period: to finalise the trans-European conventional rail network Directive and to ensure that the air passenger rights Directive guarantees “that passengers on airlines are treated better than they are now.”

The trans-European rail Directive includes the requirement “to bring those motorways, railways and ports and airports identified as being part of a trans-European network up to a certain standard by 2013 to 2015.” The Minister added: “It’s important to get that right.”

Concluding, the Minister told delegates that his agenda “is a busy one” and that these are interesting times in which it is important to “get our state companies and local authorities into a better place so that when the upturn comes, we can capitalise on that.”

Transport Ireland 2012: Ministeral address: Dr Leo Varadkar, TD

NUI Galway’s environmental geology specialist Tiernan Henry discusses the reality of fracking with Owen McQuade.

It is “incumbent” on the fracking industry to be “transparent about the procedures, methodologies and techniques that they are going to use and to ensure that they use best practice from start to finish,” Tiernan Henry tells agendaNi. The Republic’s Environmental Protection Agency and the Geological Survey of Ireland, in turn, must ensure that “proper regulations are in place before any work begins” and that they are properly enforced. The Northern Ireland Environment Agency and the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland are the province’s equivalents.

Addressing a gas futures seminar, Henry pointed out that anecdotal information, mainly from the United States, is often unchecked by the proper environmental authorities and can lead to a panicked public.

Fracking is “a methodology to stimulate the production of hydrocarbons from unconventional gas resources,” Henry explains. “Essentially, it is stimulating the ground to allow gas to be taken out much more easily than it would already do if you just drilled straight into it.”

It is a growing phenomenon and is seen as increasingly important to the United States’ energy security. Unconventional gas development made up 28 per cent of US total gas production in 2008 and is predicted to be up to 60 per cent by 2035.

“Fracking is obviously an important means of accessing natural gas resources. It’s not going away [as] it’s being developed as a major way of extracting gas from the ground,” Henry notes.

Gas companies will “drill to a particular depth in the sub-surface to particular rock types  that have an established gas resource. But, because of the nature of the rock, the gas can’t move easily through the rock so it has to be stimulated … by breaking it or fracturing it.” Operators will then inject water into the rock under very high pressure. Proppants such as small sand grains are added before the water is injected. “These proppants hold the fractures open. The water is drawn back up the system and the gas follows,” he summarises.

Shale rock must contain more than 2 per cent of total organic content, be more than 40 metres thick, be between 1,000 to 3,500 metres deep, and have a surface area greater than 100 square kilometres.

Because shale is ductile, and bends rather than breaks, industry needs a “shale dominated rock” which contains clay or sand particles to make it brittle.
Concerns about the amount of water required for fracking are unnecessary, particularly in Ireland, which has a lot of rainfall.

“Per fracture, on average, the volume of water needed is 10,000 cubic metres [which is around 3-4 million gallons of water],” Henry says. “These numbers seem quite large but relatively speaking they are very small numbers.”

Putting that in perspective, he explains that the River Corrib in his native Galway, flows at approximately 100 cubic metres a second. “To take out 10,000 cubic metres would be 100 seconds of flow from the river,” he analogises. Alternatively, 10 seconds of flow could be taken out over 10 hours to make the withdrawal more gradual.

When injecting water into the well, “there are issues about [ensuring] that the water goes where you want it to go and doesn’t leak out of the well on the way down.”
Further safety measures are required when the water returns to the surface. Henry points out: “You want to ensure that the water that you pump back comes back to the surface and isn’t lost along the way. When it comes back to the surface, it needs to be stored and treated properly.”

While water generally makes up 90 per cent of the fluid pumped down the well, 9.51 per cent is proppants and 0.49 per cent additives. Additives are controversial and the type used depends on individual fracking companies.

They can include KCL (potassium chloride) which stops the clay in the shale from swelling, biocides which kill off bacteria that could clog the system, and scale inhibitors to stop the breakdown of the metal in the piping itself. The US Environmental Protection Agency has outlined a list of chemicals found in fracking fluid which runs to 25 pages.

Debate

While some irresponsible fracking companies have engendered “valid concerns about the environment”, particularly in relation to the storage of contaminated water, Henry points to a University of Texas February 2012 report which stated that “there is no conclusive evidence that hydraulic fracturing itself is a cause of problems.”

Written by the university’s energy institute, the report is called ‘Fact based regulation for environmental protection in shale gas development’. Examining the Barnett shale in Texas, the Haynesville shale in East Texas and Louisiana, and the Marcellus shale in several states in the eastern US, that report found that there is presently “little or no evidence” of groundwater contamination from hydraulic fracturing of shales at normal depths. However, the process of adding chemicals to the water occurs above ground and can result in undiluted chemicals making their way into surface or ground water.

The report also found that water quality changes observed in water wells (and often blamed by the public and the media on fracking) may be due to vibrations from the drilling process releasing chemicals such as iron and manganese. These are already present in water wells, it claims, and it is unlikely they are released from fracturing fluids or leakage from the well casing.

In conclusion, Henry believes that “the biggest issue … is communication and the quality of the debate about the merits or otherwise of the process [which has] been quite polarised to date.”

Exclusive interview with Tiernan Henry of NUI Galway from the Future of Natural Gas seminar,
27 March 2012.

John Lambe, Business Development Manager and specialist in the health sector, explores how healthcare organisations can apply ESCo (Energy Services Company) and Energy Management contracting expertise to achieve energy savings, as well as efficiency improvements and cost reductions.

Energy Efficiency in practice: Stewarts Care case study, Dublin Stewarts Care was established in 1869. It is a charitable foundation with a long tradition in the provision of care for people with intellectual disability.

Following on from the delivery of a facilities maintenance contract by Dalkia provided at Stewarts Kilcloon since 2008, a 15 year energy services agreement between Stewarts and Dalkia was signed in October 2009. This resulted in the delivery and operation of an initial suite of energy efficient projects and upgrades on the Palmerstown site in 2010 (Phase 1). A secondary 13-year agreement was signed in September 2011 between both parties for the implementation of a complementary suite of energy efficiency projects across the entire site. Together, these agreements and projects have and will deliver significant energy consumption and cost savings for Stewarts until 2025.

Results obtained in the first year of the Stewarts/Dalkia partnership:

• €230k of energy cost savings
• 51% reduction in grid electricity
• 40% reduction in heating oil
• 1,250 tons of carbon saved

What can your organisation do? Transfering risk by utility energy performance contracting can ensure that ESCos deliver on what both parties have signed up to. Combining this with partnering for the long term (up to 15 years) means that clients (healthcare organisations) can focus on their core business and the wellbeing of their customers, and rely on the ESCo to deliver sustainability while providing for their utilities and energy needs in the long-term.

Who are Dalkia? Leader in utilities and energy management, Dalkia guarantee utilities and energy savings, financial efficiencies and CO2 reduction. Dalkia experts design, build, operate and maintain utility schemes (including CHP) as well as lighting, heating and cooling systems, for a variety of industries.

Outsourcing utility services to a utility and energy management expert often includes clean systems such as high purity water, clean steam, and clean HVAC systems.

It can also cover typical plant services such as chilled water, plant steam, compressed air, waste systems etc. Using a risk-based approach through a longterm integrated partnership, the scope and responsibility of the service provider is built up over time, ensuring benefits are brought to bear for client satisfaction and also regulatory compliance.

Stewarts 15 year Energy Partnership Contract includes:

• Energy procurement
• Operation and maintenance
• Replacement guarantee
• Renewable energy
• Expert energy partner

To find out if this model could work for your organisation and to find out more about the savings achievements we have brought to our clients, please contact:

John Lambe, Business
Development Manager, Dalkia,
145 Lakeview Drive
Airside Business Park
Swords, Co. Dublin
Phone: 01 870 1200
Email: info@dalkia.ie
Web: www.dalkia.ie

Ireland must remain optimistic but realistic in terms of its economic future. We face many challenges as businesses struggle in the aftermath of the crisis. However, we also need to believe that better times are ahead and that we have the resources that will help deliver our economic recovery – specifically our entrepreneurs.

Ireland has built a strong foundation of support for entrepreneurs but there are many ingredients required to improve entrepreneurial growth. Ernst & Young in conjunction with the G20 Young Entrepreneur Summit, highlighted five key pillars from discussions held with over 1,000 global entrepreneurs, which they agree must remain top priorities to enable this.

1) Entrepreneurship culture
Having a supportive entrepreneurial culture is fundamental. Entrepreneurs surveyed believe the most effective way to promote this culture is to align entrepreneurship and job creation.

The announcement by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton TD, that the Government would introduce proposals aimed at removing obstacles to job creation, making it easier for businesses to employ people, is to be welcomed. These steps are to include measures to reduce the cost base for employers, minimise bureaucracy, red tape and promote easier access to finance and credit – all critical to help encourage job creation.

2) Education and training
A good education system and continuous training strengthens the entrepreneurial environment.

Entrepreneurship education and training is often viewed as a sub-discipline of business studies, meaning that potential entrepreneurs in other fields, such as science and technology, are sometimes neglected. Targeted education and training needs to become associated with a wider range of disciplines.

Making use of interactive education resources such as the Entrepreneur Of The Year’s education channel (www.eoy.tv) allows schools and colleges to develop a clear understanding of the world of the entrepreneur as well as providing insights into how to apply entrepreneurial vision across a diverse range of sectors.

3) Access to funding
Access to funding continues to be one of the most significant challenges for the creation, survival and growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The majority of entrepreneurs interviewed (80 per cent) confirm that governments have an important role to play in creating the right environment for access to funding for young entrepreneurs.

In Ireland a number of initiatives are present to help address this including business angel networks and most notably a new €10 million Enterprise Ireland fund to help attract digital companies to Ireland. However, there remains significant pressure on SMEs; for example, start-up funding can require lesser amounts of funding with a far greater return to investors in terms of equity investment.

4) Regulation and taxation
Entrepreneurs believe that governments have a substantial role to play in regulating, incentivising and directing private sector activity.

Policies around severance costs, innovation grants and tax incentives need to be designed with stakeholders being involved during the design phase. Entrepreneurs highlighted the need for feedback loops to be incorporated into the process. Within its Entrepreneur Of The Year® programme in Ireland, Ernst & Young is increasingly using this process to provide a collective voice to the entrepreneurial community.

5) Co-ordinated support
There is considerable potential for better coordination between government agencies, business incubators, universities and training programmes, to unlock greater entrepreneurial activity. One development that has emerged globally is the ‘one-stop shop’, which centralises the bureaucratic components of new business formation. In Ireland, some excellent incubator initiatives exist including InterTrade Ireland’s Seedcorn Programme, the Endeavour Programme, and the NDRC Launchpad. The next step is to continue to promote across Ireland the benefits of engaging with these programmes.

Ireland faces significant economic challenges in the immediate future and government alone cannot create jobs – entrepreneurs can. The key role of government is to build and maintain the environment within which entrepreneurship can thrive. Indeed, Ireland has the potential to become a world leader in this regard. By harnessing our resources, at home and abroad, and supporting our entrepreneurs, recovery will be within our grasp.

NewERA might be the construct and responsibility of another department but Frances Fitzgerald is focused on new beginnings. With the new Government has come a new department, and soon a new child and family support agency. The vision is for a more child-focused Ireland.
The new Department of Children and Youth Affairs, established last June, was “a lot of work for the AG, and a lot of work for all of us”, bringing together a range of functions across four departments (Health, Education, Justice and the former Community and Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs) and state agencies such as the Family Support Agency.

Fitzgerald is designing a child and family support agency, led by Gordon Jeyes (HSE National Director of Children and Family Services), and hopes it will come into effect next January. “The idea is you get more focus onto children’s issues,” says Fitzgerald. “You can bring and integrate the services better when they’re in a separate agency, out from the HSE, and that agency then will do a lot of linking with public health nurses, with GP centres, community centres, and the social workers will be working under it, as will the Family Support Agency.” The Family Support Agency will be subsumed into the new agency.

A task force chaired by management consultant Maureen Lynott, will shortly present her with the first series of reports on the proposed agency’s vision, governance and services.

“That’s a big project,” says the former social worker and family therapist. “Can I say that I know change is difficult for people in the services, and that I’ve been very encouraged by the kind of responses I’m getting from people?”

The new agency comes amidst the backdrop of a country still coming to terms with decades of significant failures to protect children. Fitzgerald is also working on legislation to put the ‘children first national guidance 2011’, on recognising, reporting and responding to child safety concerns, on a statutory basis. The Bill is on the Government’s A-list of bills to be published during this parliamentary session.

That legislation will bring “more consistency into the picture,” such as greater co-ordination between agencies. Jeyes has informed her that this is already coming about through HSE reforms and implementation of national systems. “The gardaí are reporting, people are reporting to the gardaí. It works both ways,” she adds, while “better quality data” are being given to the authorities.

The Minister also wants to see a more “streamlined approach to the voluntary sector”, with “more coherence” between the voluntary sector and government, as well as more agreed priorities and local service agreements. “I have to ensure that families who are really in need of care and protection get the family support services that they need,” she says.

Children’s rights

Most referendum-related commentary is on the fiscal compact these days, but Fitzgerald still plans to have the children’s rights referendum this year. Wording is yet to be finalised, and there will be consultation once it is. “We have to get a lot of information out there so that the public can understand why we’re doing this.” The Minister explains: “It’s about the voice of the child, the best interests of the child, recognising that children in their own rights have rights as citizens, and then allowing for children of marital parents to be adopted because they’re not [usually eligible] in this country.”

As well as the changes regarding adoption, Fitzgerald sees other significant consequences if the amendment is passed.

At a judicial level, the best interests of the child will be a constitutional consideration of judges in cases relating to children (e.g. child care, adoption, family law). It will also allow the State “to give family support at an earlier stage to families who need it because the legal construct will be there now about a proportionate response by the State.”

Constitutional change would also be “a strong cultural statement” about the importance of children in Ireland. “You might not have needed a Ryan Commission if the voice of the child and the best interests of the child had been a consideration when those kids were taken to the district court by the old cruelty officer,” she says.

Fitzgerald accepts that arguments that the proposed amendment will encroach on the family’s rights are “inevitably going to be part of the debate” but argues that “there’s a strong case to be made that child protection and family support are two sides of the same coin.” She states: “It [the wording] has to be strong but it will not undermine the family. The role of the family is in the Constitution.”

Despite the family’s importance in the Constitution, EU statistics point to Ireland having the second highest proportion of children (under 18) living with one parent in the EU (23.2 per cent). Successive government policies and constitutional values seem at odds. Fitzgerald cites the example of the lone parent allowance, which people can only receive if they’re raising a child without a partner: “There’s no question it’s a disincentive. And we have to examine that. I don’t think it’s right.”

Another example Fitzgerald gives is birth certificates. There is no legal requirement for a father’s identity on birth certs of children of unmarried parents. “I think every child has a right to their identity,” she states.

Early years

In March, Fitzgerald got Cabinet approval to draft Ireland’s first ‘national early years strategy’. It will focus on improving educational outcomes, the quality of early childhood care, education and childminding, as well as targeted educated programmes for disadvantaged children.

“I think the goal is to try and have a joined-up approach,” she states. It would cover health and screening, speech therapy in early childhood settings, and linking the early childhood care and education scheme (ECCE) with disability services “instead of all of the parents going off looking for appointments in clinics around the place”. The quality of services also needs to be examined: “I’m not satisfied that we have an even enough quality around the country in relation to our early childhood care settings.”

For Fitzgerald, there needs to be “more of a dialogue, between what’s happening in childcare in Ireland and what’s happening in primary school and education.” The strategy will be completed by the end of the year.

On adoption, prospective parents have faced two- to three-year delays in getting assessed before starting the adoption process.
“They were disgraceful, those long waits, I think they really were unacceptable,” she states, but adds that they have shortened. Of the three organisations accredited by the Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI) to conduct assessments, Fitzgerald states: “We’re at the point of making a decision about cases being referred to them, but of course we now have to look at whether it makes economic sense to refer those cases.” The Minister adds: “We also have to decide whether we charge [parents for assessment].”

In 2009, adoptions with Vietnam ceased following the lapsing of a bilateral agreement between the two countries. The Adoption Act 2010 prohibits adoptions of children from countries that have not ratified the Hague Convention or with which Ireland does not have a bilateral agreement.

Fitzgerald has been trying to “bring clarity into the situation and have decisions made about a number of key countries.” She expects a visit in May by the head of the adoption authority in Vietnam (which has now ratified the Convention).

The Minister would also like to see bilateral agreements with Russia and Ethiopia. At her request, the AAI visited Russia and will also visit Ethiopia and India.

Inadequate vetting of foster care parents has also come under the spotlight, with HIQA reporting delays in assessing, vetting and approving foster parents in June 2010. Of the waiting times for vetting, Fitzgerald says: “We’ve brought down the time for vetting now substantially. It’s down to a couple of weeks.” Pre-vetting is “in the 90s [percentage],” adding: “it’s never going to be 100 per cent.” The average current waiting time for garda vetting of foster care applicants is two and a half weeks, and was approximately eight weeks a year ago. At the end of 2011, 85 per cent of foster carers had been approved (including garda clearance).

The child in modern Ireland

In the 1980s the Dublin West TD worked in London as a social worker, mainly with juvenile offenders, and also as part of a community care team. “Social services were very developed for young people then,” she says, with the NHS putting “quite a focus on children’s services.”
Fitzgerald believes that Ireland has caught up. ]983 million is being allocated (between the HSE’s children and families vote and her own department) to children’s services this year. “So even with the cutbacks, there are large resources to be managed well that impact on children.”  

In modern Ireland “the vast majority” of the 1.1 million children are doing “very well.” Irish childhood has “changed beyond recognition I think, moving away from the ‘seen and not heard’” mentality to one of “wonderful parenting”, a greater understanding of the child’s needs and a changed attitude to physical punishment.

“Now, you have to dig down into it then and you have to say: ‘Well, who are children who need special attention now?’ And there are children who need special attention,” she states.

More needs to be done for disadvantaged young people “in terms of early intervention.” Young people in care “are a very particular group, and we have to focus more on high quality service for them,” while the ‘at risk’ groups who experiment with drugs and alcohol and “who don’t get help early on, are hugely vulnerable.” Some die or end up in prison, others live “very disturbed lives.”

Alcohol is another major problem. Though children are “drinking more, [and] they’re drinking earlier,” she believes that “we’re not really prepared to face it head on.” She gives the example of “the challenging issues around sponsorship.”

The problem of overweight or obese children is “one of the biggest challenges we’re facing” with 25 per cent of three-year-olds falling into either category. “So the health consequences for the next generation are very serious at the moment.”

For Fitzgerald and her government colleagues, of course, the zeitgeist is austerity. “The thing that is difficult I think is really trying to match the resources to the need out there. I mean that is the stressful piece,” she says of her work. “And I’m really shocked that more hasn’t been done during the years of the Celtic Tiger. We should have been able to sort out our child protection system. We should have been able to sort out secure care. We’re not talking about huge numbers of children.”

Despite the pressure on services and the growing child population, “the reality is that we have less resources than I would like to have.”
The current situation is an opportunity for reform, however. “It’s not about throwing money at things any more. It’s really about trying to get effective services and really focus on what we want to deliver in an integrated way. That’s the challenge.”

A prosperous Ireland can help lead a recovering European economy, according to IBEC Director-General Danny McCoy, but while the economy recovers, the Irish workforce cannot expect a return to centralised wage-bargaining anytime soon.

“The Irish economy, I think, has stabilised very dramatically on the back of the business community’s capacity to adapt,” McCoy remarks, explaining that “the adaption started to take place as early as 2007 and by the start of 2009, the Irish business community had very fundamentally taken steps to make their business more sustainable.”

2011 proved to be a record year for Irish exports.  However, at the same time, the domestic economy was “destabilised” from last summer onwards as the euro crisis started to hit.  Firms held back from investing due to worries over the currency’s existence.

“There was a slowing down in the latter half of 2011 so, overall, I think 2011 will probably show a positive growth rate but it could be much stronger in the absence of the current version of the euro crisis,” he comments.  “This euro crisis has dampened the recovery in the Irish economy but the recovery is still there nonetheless.”

Overall confidence decreased in late 2011, for the reasons mentioned above, but a resurgence has gathered pace since December.  Exporting companies, in particular, are “very buoyant again and feeling they will be back in employment mode” and domestic businesses are also “confident about their business.”  In the latter category, though, consumers are still in a “kind of paralysis, connected again to the euro crisis” so the supply side is not matched by effective demand.

McCoy firmly rejects any future for Ireland outside the euro.  In his previous career as a Central Bank economist, he worked on Irish entry to the monetary union.

“I think [it] would be foolhardy to contemplate giving up on the most successful economy in the world,” he states, pointing to Europe’s position as an “incredibly strong engine of economic capacity”.

As an enthusiastic supporter of the fiscal compact, IBEC wants to see the Government “bring this treaty quickly,” a reference to ministers persuading the electorate to vote in favour.  Uncertainty over the euro zone’s future could deter international investors who “believe the Irish growth story at this stage” and also damage the economic confidence of domestic householders.

“The six-pack is actually more enveloping,” McCoy notes, explaining that its expenditure rule “would have helped the Irish circumstance”. The “crisis of governance connected in part to banking” is far from the full picture.  Within Ireland, he points out that government spending constitutes around €25 billion of €160 billion in GDP: approximately 15 per cent.

“Eighty-five per cent of the story is elsewhere.  For instance, the fiscal compact puts rules basically on the Government but it’s not a constraint on the private sector, and the private sector’s what’s driving the economy and driving growth.”

Ultimately, Europe is “going to have to punch at its weight” rather than being divided between differing national economic policies.  He continues: “There is the prospect of a euro bond emerging over the next two years and I think that will be a big decision for countries like Ireland as to how they want to progress in it.”  His personal view on euro bonds is that this is “something that we should be contemplating.”

Leading Europe

He wants Ireland to become the most prosperous region of the EU.  “Today, we’re 133 per cent of the European average in GDP terms,” McCoy states.  “A lot of people believe that our convergence is over.  I don’t believe that.”  In the last regional figures on GDP, for 2009, Ireland stood at 128 per cent while the Île de France reached 177 per cent, Brussels 223 per cent and inner city London reached 332 per cent.

“And the reason why I’m confident of that is we’ve got absolutely world class businesses here and it’s not just the US multi-national foreign direct investment.  The scale of multi-national indigenous companies is phenomenal for a 4.6 million population.  CRH, Glen Dimplex, Paddy Power, Ryanair, Kerry Group, Glanbia: phenomenally large companies and successfully trading.”

McCoy again credits the euro zone for this success: “That stability gave rise to the removal of the risk premium which allowed expansive growth and a confidence that we were actually embedded in Europe in a very strong way.  I think our destiny is inextricably linked to Europe but the strength of the Irish business model is that Ireland can actually lead Europe and I think that’s what it should be doing.”

Separately, IBEC is seeking a revenue-neutral budget.  The use of smart cards to pay child benefit, he says, would release €2 billion for the retail sector, which could then make that money go further with in-store discounts.

Young couples and parents who cannot afford a home are “postponing their lives”.  IBEC proposes a pre-announced increase in stamp duty from 1 per cent to 3 per cent in 2014, which would give them a new incentive to get on the property ladder.  To help older people renovate their homes, IBEC is suggesting a formal tax credit for innovation and retrofitting.

Banks, in his view, are “moving into a much more of a position where they can start lending again.”  On the tracker mortgage discussions, McCoy adds: “We’re going to get rid of that burden but it’s a question of where it’s parked to allow the functioning of the banks to get more.”
IBEC agrees with ICTU that pension funds could be utilised to create an investment bond, to allow Irish people to invest in their own infrastructure (particularly telecoms and water).  Businesses also want action on the lack of available and suitable commercial property, particularly in Dublin.

Small social partnership

No return to social partnership (at least as we knew it) is on the horizon.  McCoy affirms: “Centralised wage-bargaining won’t come back in the Irish economy, I think, in the very short- to middle-term … nor do we believe should sector wage-bargaining.”

Enterprise-level bargaining “is going to be a feature of the Irish landscape for a decade at least and so in that context social partnership, as previously envisaged, I don’t think is going to re-emerge.”

That said, its relational side will have a longer legacy and government will remain an important mediator in industrial relations.

“It’s crucial that there’s strong relationships between employers and employees,” McCoy remarks, “whether that’s mediated through trade unions or not, to ensure that there’s workplace productivity and [that] competitiveness is driving everything they do in the sharing of those benefits.”

Indeed, on the social agenda, he predicts that an “enlightened” trade union movement can have a “very significant relationship with employers.”

Aristotle once said that all men by nature desire knowledge. This being the case, we are fortunate that the opportunities of obtaining knowledge have never been so accessible. We are some 20 years into the online information revolution and in such momentous developments, history teaches that this early stage is merely the start of a continuing period of transition.

The internet has been the catalyst for innovation which is hardly surprising considering its developing interactive possibilities. Gone are the days of the big desk-bound computer, record players and all the other soon-to-be dinosaurs. Applications to exploit the internet’s potential are created every day, particularly in the business world. The immediate access to information allowed by the internet has given rise to countless businesses, particularly in the e-commerce field.

Engaging with the internet is not without its problems.  Lack of technical skills or the cost of online access or availability of broadband are all important issues. Thank goodness for our public libraries.  But, for some, there is another fly in the ointment: copyright.  It is seen by them as a chilling influence on the development of the new order.  It is my opinion that this shows a serious misunderstanding of the role of copyright.

Copyright has a dual purpose. While it protects the rights of the authors of original works and those who invest in bringing those works to the public, it also promotes innovation by respecting the rights of both the creators and those who would build on, and experiment with those copyrighted works. After all, it was Isaac Newton who said: “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulder of giants.”  This balance is the essential feature of copyright law.

It is enabled by a system of copyright exceptions. This might be seen as the other face of the copyright regime. The exceptions and limitations to copyright have been developed in parallel to authors’ rights since the beginnings of copyright and their purpose is to try to provide fairness and encourage innovation. These exceptions generally include educational or archival institutions, libraries, and ‘fair dealing’ purposes such as news, research, criticism or review. Such purposes are recognised as being for the common good of society as a whole.  The consensus seems to be that at least a minimum balance between these two different interests should be maintained. Finding the optimum balance is the Holy Grail of copyright.

However changed the ways of accessing and using information and content, certain central realities remain.  There must be encouragement and reward for those whose efforts create and foster original works. Growth in digital media is dependent on quality content and new technologies only succeed because of the content they give access to. Balanced against this, innovation, which may involve certain use of such content, has to be advanced or the next round of innovation is stymied and opportunities and jobs are lost. The interests of consumers and citizens have to be taken into account.

How best to accommodate all these diverse interests in the digital world is being debated worldwide. Most countries are bound by international copyright agreements, most notably the Berne Convention and the World Intellectual Property Organisation treaties and, in the case of countries of the European Union, also by the various harmonising directives. Nonetheless, it is vital that we maximise to the greatest extent possible, the online opportunities for creation and innovation and user engagement. The balance of interests needs reassessment on a continuous basis to ensure the copyright trade-off is delivering. For this reason, an independent review of Irish copyright and innovation issues has been underway since May 2011 by the Copyright Review Committee led by Dr Eoin O’Dell with committee members Patricia McGovern and Professor Steve Hedley.  Their paper may be accessed at www.djei.ie/science/ipr/crc.htm

Digital information, in its possibilities and diversity, will lead to new purposes and application and the copyright balance must play its role in these developments.

How did you become involved in politics and what attracted you to Fine Gael?

My interest in politics was not innate but was acquired in my late teens. I lay the blame for my initial interest in politics firmly with one of my secondary school teachers, PJ Nugent, who arranged for students to meet the Taoiseach, John Bruton. It was 1995 and I’m still not s

ure if I was brought along as punishment or reward but that encounter with John whetted my appetite for politics. I didn’t go out and seek a political party to join but my interest in Fine Gael stemmed from this meeting with John Bruton. I was approached by PJ and others locally in Fine Gael to stand as a candidate in the local elections of 1999. I didn’t jump at the idea at first but reflected on the offer. As a 21-year-old it was quite daunting. 

I ran initially as a candidate for Navan Town Council, but with a matter of weeks to go before polling day I was ‘added on’ to the Fine Gael ticket for the county council election after constituency chair John Duffy said that I may as well run for both town and county.  This proved to be an astute move as I was elected to Meath County Council and not Navan Town Council.  In 2002 I contested the general election for Fine Gael and was elected to Dáil Éireann alongside John Bruton in what turned out to be his last election.

Is the Government succeeding at rebuilding the economy from the ground up?

The Government is succeeding with this task.  Politics is about making decisions that will lead a country in certain directions, both in an economic and a social context.  The task of rebuilding the economy from the ground up is not solely to regain our economic sovereignty from the troika.  It’s about making the Irish economy sustainable for generations to come. 

In previous years, governments made long-term current expenditure commitments based on a fiscal bonanza from the building boom rather than on sustainable income streams.  When the income from construction-based activity collapsed, the money was no longer available to meet the commitments made.  A situation like this cannot happen again. 

When the economy recovers, it needs to be to the point where our income will match our expenditure requirements.  This will come from monies raised from increased employment levels and increased consumer spending within the domestic economy coupled with a thriving export market.

There will always be conflicting views on how we should get to this point.  For my part, I will continue to support and challenge government on the path in getting there.

What’s unique about Meath West?

Meath West is a dynamic and interesting constituency incorporating part Meath and part Westmeath.  It has many contrasts such as Navan having 10,000 homes, almost all in housing estates, while in Fore, County Westmeath, there are no housing estates at all.  To the north there are rolling hills around Oldcastle, while to the south near Enfield the land is flatter.

Possibly the most unique thing that Meath West has to boast is that Ireland’s version of the Olympic Games, the Great Aonach, took place at Tailteann (Teltown) tri-annually for over 3,000 years. It is reported that mythical young warriors tested their strength and prowess in events such as wrestling, boxing and chariot races.

In your opinion, what are the three biggest challenges facing the Government?

Equality of access to public services irrespective of where people live is possibly the biggest challenge facing the government.  It should not be more difficult for people living in one part of the country to access health, educational, business support or social welfare services than others living elsewhere.

Reducing the unit cost of providing services within the public sector is another challenge.  This is vital so that the level of service can be maintained for the public but the costs of providing such services are reduced. 

Government faces the challenge of advancing the public service so that every person working within it can be proud of the work they do.  Public sector employees are part of a large team of people that provide essential services to the country; they should be confident at all times of the work they do.  Changes impending within the public service need to be enabled by government but must be driven from within the public service. It needs to happen and be embraced at all levels of the public service, not enforced from the top down.

What are the main issues on the Jobs, Social Protection and Education Committee’s forward work programme?

The JSPE Committee has quite a large remit, covering the work of three government departments.  The work programme decided on for 2012 will look at:

• job activation schemes, youth unemployment and the long term unemployed, supporting the self-employed, promotion of entrepreneurship and creating demand in the domestic economy;
• the use of IT in the delivery of social welfare services, the rights of casual workers, reform of the child benefit system, black market workers and social welfare fraud;
• plans for community primary schools and gaelscoileanna, junior certificate reform, the guidance counselling profession, plans to improve standard of spoken Irish, proposals to address illiteracy and innumeracy, the provision of special needs education in primary schools and the standard of teaching and research in the universities and ITs.

How do you like to spend your free time?

I love spending time with my family.  I’m married to Laura and we have two young children (Harvey, two, and Karla, seven months.)  They’re at a great age now and in between the teething we have great fun with them.

I like running.  I have completed two Dublin City marathons in the past four years and many 5k and 10k runs.  I make time also to go to as many Meath football matches as possible.